Page 5 of A Seduction Of Death (Umbra Hunters #4)
FIVE
Meyer
“ Y ou’re insane,” I whisper as I watch Jesthren smirk. Does this man truly believe he’s the Devil's son?
“No, I’m not. But we are now out of time, and I need your answer. Come with me willingly and save lives, or condemn my brothers to a painful death. Your choice,” Jesthren responds, his smile slowly fading as his eyes go slightly unfocused.
“It's not really a choice. Is it?” I ask bitterly, glaring at him as he grins and shrugs.
“Not really. But it's up to you all the same.” Jesthren takes a confident step forward, dark magic sparking at his fingertips as he slowly holds his hand toward me. “Make the right decision, Meyer,” he whispers, and I shiver, his words holding more than a plea as magic courses over my skin. Is this how he’s been able to convince everyone he’s a good guy for so long? Even now, as I stand before him, knowing he’s a murderer and will only cause harm, there is an odd need, a compulsion to reach out and let Jesthren take me with him. The magic he surrounds himself with feels safe and warm, like a hug I so desperately want to give into.
I almost gasp when my hand moves at my side, reaching for his. My body leans toward him, and I study his smile, which is back as he moves to take me into his arms. My head feels fuzzy, and my body relaxed, making me frown as I try to remember why I’m upset.
“Take my hand, Meyer. I’ll keep you safe.”
I blink down at his big hand, now only inches from my own, and shake my head, trying to clear the fog that suddenly set in. My heart pounds in my chest, sweat dotting my brow as the world around us pauses, the sounds lessening as I stare at my hand, then his. I can’t remember why we’re here; I can’t… I can't remember why I’m here. I look around us and frown. When did we get here, and why?
“W-what?” I whisper, looking back up at Jesthren and smiling at him when he chuckles.
“You got lost last night, Meyer. Everyone is so worried. Let me take you back to Nox,” he whispers, and I feel myself nod and step forward. Just as I place my hand in his, a burst of frigid wind whips through the clearing, making me gasp and jolt as my heart skips a beat. Fresh air fills my lungs, and my mind clears as Jesthren curses, his big fingers tightening around mine as everything suddenly comes rushing back to me.
I can feel my eyes widen in horror as I stare up at Jesthren. I’m not sure what kind of mindfuck he just tried to play on me, but thankfully it’s not working anymore. Renewed anger and fury course through me, the darkness that fills my chest doubling, then tripling as the red mark on my wrist begins to glow. I hiss in pain as the mark burns against me, my eyes locked on Jesthren’s traitorous ones as they widen in surprise.
“Don't!” he warns, like he knows what I’m about to do when I don't even know what’s happening. Red magic slowly builds around our joined hands, and Jesthren tenses, his mouth pulling into a snarl as the magic cords around his wrist. I feel his grip loosen, his fingers releasing mine as he tries to pull back, but that only spurs my anger as I cling to his hand. Whatever magic radiating around our hands is enough to keep him from pulling away as I step closer to him, my fear melting as pure rage fills my vision with red.
“I’m going to kill you for this,” I whisper, my voice sounding off… deeper as Jesthren watches me with parted lips.
“I’ll kill them,” Jesthren hisses between clenched teeth, his warning doing nothing to deter my anger. My mind is filled with Elaine's pleas, the sound her body made as it fell to the ground. The way her strong, comforting magic felt as it slowly faded from around me. Tears fall down my cheeks as I glare up at the Demon before me and yank the swirling, dark pit of power in my chest forward, surrendering myself to it and its hold over me.
A scream tears from my lips as my body ignites, every molecule of my being erupting in pain as something inside me snaps. I can't hear the roar of outrage Jesthren releases, only the vibration of his magic as red light explodes from my hand and into his own. The light intensifies as my heart thunders in my chest, and I grin at Jesthren’s shocked expression. I watch with sick satisfaction as a drop of dark blood falls from Jesthren’s nose, then another and another, until a small stream of blood courses down his face and his chin.
Black sparks of magic erupt around the red, and I grunt in pain as I feel them attack, pressing at me like tar covering my mind. Gritting my teeth, I press back, refusing to let him back in my mind. My lungs scream in pain, my back bowing as I keep my hold on the magic inside me.
“You’ll kill us both!” I see him mouth as he tries to pull away from the red and black magic surrounding us, and I grin.
“Good,” I mouth back. I don't want to die; hell, I really don’t want to leave now that I finally feel like I might have found friends and a family. But I would rather take Jesthren out now and risk it, than let him live and hurt another person I love. Stars fill my vision as blackness slowly creeps in, narrowing my sight until all I see is red.
Then… it explodes.
Like a rag doll, I’m thrown back; my hand is yanked from Jesthren’s as my body collides with a tree behind me. My head whips back and cracks against the bark, jarring me enough to lose my hold on the darkness in my chest. Like a rubberband, the magic comes racing back to me, my mouth open in a silent scream as fire courses through my veins, and everything turns from red to black.
The sounds of growling and fighting are the first thing I notice as I groan and slowly open my eyes. The sun's bright light makes me curse and slam my eyes closed just as everything that happened returns to me. With a gasp, I sit up, fear, anger, and determination warring within me as I try to keep myself upright. I see Jesthren standing and fighting against an enormous black Beastia, his broadsword drawn, blood coursing down his cheeks and neck from the three deep wounds clawed into his flesh. The big Demon Prince is limping, and there’s a bright red, almost charred-looking handprint on his hand and wrist where I clung to him before.
“Razar! Don’t!” Jesthren roars as the Beast goes for his throat, showing his brother no mercy—Jesthren curses and twirls his sword around as he moves to deal a fatal blow.
“No!” I scream, making Jesthren jerk back in surprise, letting Razar’s Beastia leap at him, taking him to the ground. I manage to push myself to my knees, my head swimming with the effort it takes to move my body. I shake my head and try to clear my fuzzy vision, watching the brothers fight. Razar is thrown back like a toy rather than a huge monster as magic swirls around Jesthren’s fingers. He shoves himself to his feet and glares at me, his jaw tense, facial features defined, and almost monstrous in appearance. The charming prince I knew now stripped into the Demon he truly is.
“They all will die now,” he rasps, his face twisted into something I can't define. Dark eyes bleed with hints of red as Razar snarls and gets back to his enormous paws, his black fur standing on end as he races to stand between Jesthren and me. I brace for Jesthren's attack, trying to grab the darkness inside me, but there’s nothing there. Instead of attacking, the magic encompasses Jesthren's big body, twisting like a shadow before he disappears from view.
My breath rushes from me in fear and relief—glad that he’s gone from the clearing, scared that he’s alive and can still hurt those I want to keep safe. Razar releases a frustrated roar, his taloned paws raking across the frozen ground as he paces in front of me—his anxious energy courses from him as bile climbs up my throat.
Shit. Turning my head, I promptly throw up, dry-heaving loudly as I curl over, bracing myself on my hands. After another body-jerking heave, I whimper and gasp, my eyes watering with the pain in my body.
A touch on my shoulder has me jerking back instinctively before I feel more than see Razar fall to his knees at my side, strong, warm hands grasping my shoulders and keeping me up as I continue to be sick. My shoulders sag in defeat as my stomach finally settles. “I’m okay,” I cough, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand and grimacing at the mess I made.
“I know,” Razar rasps, accepting my lie when we both know I’m full of shit. I nod, then ruin everything when a sob bursts from my lips as my body trembles, completely out of my control. Razar’s fingers tighten on me as I lift my head and look over my shoulder at him. He’s filthy, covered in dirt and grime, and has blood all over him.
“Razar,” I whisper, and his hands move from my shoulders to wrap around me, pulling me back into his arms like he did the night before. His big hand cups my jaw, his thumb rubbing in slow, soothing circles on my neck as I close my eyes and sink into his hold, taking all the comfort he’s willing to provide.
“Take a deep breath, Pup,” he whispers, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. His voice is softer than I’ve ever heard from him before as I reach up and twist my fingers into his long, wild hair. I nod, trying to do as instructed, burying my face in his chest, but only manage another hiccuping sob. His hands move over my legs and then arms, checking for injury before he moves up to my neck. His fingers press at the base of my skull, making me hiss a pained breath as my head throbs even more than it had before.
“Shit,” he grumbles, standing up with me in his arms and striding toward the cave. “I’m going to take you to the castle, then come back,” he manages to grit out between growls, his chest heaving as he places me down on a large rock just outside the cave.
“No. I can walk,” I say, determined to bring Elaine home.
“No,” Razar says, then proceeds to ignore me as he grabs my jacket and holds it out for me to take. I stand, moving to remove his shirt to give it back, and he growls, teeth snapping together as his eyes darken.
“Leave it on.”
“But you'll get cold,” I point out, worried since I have his shirt, and he used his cloak to wrap Elaine’s body in.
“No, I won’t,” he scoffs as I scowl and yank my jacket on over his shirt, choosing to let him win this argument since I’m about to fight him on the next part of the conversation. When he moves to scoop me back up into his arms, I step back and shake my head.
“I really can walk. It’s a short distance,” I quickly say, holding my hand up when Razar’s expression darkens with my words. “And I’m not lying. My head hurts, and I need a long bath when we get to the castle. But I can walk the rest of the way.” Razar’s eyes narrow on my face, moving from my head to my hands, where I quickly fist them to help control their shaking before moving down to my legs. Thankfully, the world is no longer spinning, and I’m standing on somewhat sturdy legs, so he doesn't glare too long there. “I promise,” I add when Razar says nothing for several long moments.
“You will stay on my heel,” he finally says, and I nod, smiling when I realize I just won the argument. “And tell me if you feel lightheaded,” he adds, and I nod again. Razar grunts, his hands running through his long black hair in an attempt to smooth it back from his face. He looks upset and confused, looking from me to the cave before shaking his head in frustration. “Why didn't you call for me? I would have come back. It wasn't until I heard the explosion that I knew something was wrong.” I frown, looking away from him, eyes taking in the now-destroyed clearing.
Trees that stood tall and imposing only minutes ago are now splintered and broken. Branches are strewn across the clearing, and blood covers the white snow, turning the once peaceful, snowy morning scene into something out of a horror movie.
“You were already fighting two Beastia,” I whisper, and Raz snarls and ducks down, trying to catch my eyes with his wildly angry ones.
“Those pests are nothing compared to Jesthren. You could have…” he pauses and shakes his head as he corrects his words, lifting my chin with a finger, forcing me to look at him. “You would have died, Pup. Do you think Nox would let me live if I brought you back dead?
“He wouldn't hurt you,” I say instantly, and Razar releases a dark laugh.
“He would ,” he argues, letting his finger drop from my chin as he strides back into the cave. “And I would have let him.”